1996–97 National Division 4 North

1996–97 National Division 4 North
Countries England
ChampionsWorcester (1st title)
Runners-upBirmingham & Solihull (not promoted)
RelegatedStoke-on-Trent, Hereford
Matches played182

The 1996–97 National Division 4 North was the tenth full season of rugby union within the fourth tier of the English league system, currently known as National League 2 North, and the last using the name National Division 4 North. Changes to the league structure by the RFU at the start of the season saw National Division 4 revert to two regional divisions (National Division 4 North and National Division 4 South), while Courage League Division 5 North and South were split back into regional leagues - North 1, Midlands 1, London 1 and South West 1[1]. This meant that National Division 4 North increased from 10 to 14 teams (28 overall) with multiple teams coming up from the discontinued Division 5.[2]

Worcester were deserving champions, going undefeated in the league to take the title and only promotion spot to the 1997–98 National Division 1 (formerly National Division 3), 11 points clear of runners up Birmingham & Solihull. While Worcester were deserving champions, Stoke-on-Trent and Hereford were easily the worst teams in the division and as a consequence were the two sides to go down, well short of safety. Both sides would drop to Midlands 1.[3] The reason Division 4 North had less relegation places compared to Division 4 North (2 to 4) was that 3 out of 4 of the teams relegated from the division above were based in the south of the country, requiring more places to accommodate for their arrival the following season.

Structure

Each team played home and away matches against each of the other teams, playing a total of twenty-six matches each. The league champions were promoted to the new-look National League 1 while the bottom four sides dropped to either North 1 or Midlands 1 depending on locality.

Participating teams and locations

Locations of the 1996–97 National Division 4 North teams
Team Ground Capacity City/Area Previous season
Aspatria Bower Park 3,000 (300 seats)[4] Aspatria, Cumbria 9th
Birmingham & Solihull Sharmans Cross 4,000[5] Solihull, West Midlands Promoted from National 5 North (3rd)
Hereford Wyeside 3,200 (200 seats)[6] Hereford, Herefordshire Promoted from Midlands 1 (1st)
Kendal Mint Bridge 4,600 (600 seats)[7] Kendal, Cumbria Promoted from National 5 North (9th)
Lichfield Cooke Fields 5,460 (460 seats)[8] Lichfield, Staffordshire Promoted from National 5 North (12th)
Manchester Grove Park 4,000 Cheadle Hulme, Greater Manchester Promoted from North 1 (1st)
Nuneaton Liberty Way[a] 3,800 (500 seats) Nuneaton, Warwickshire Promoted from National 5 North (10th)
Preston Grasshoppers Lightfoot Green 2,250 (250 seats)[10] Preston, Lancashire Promoted from National 5 North (8th)
Sandal Milnthorpe Green Sandal Magna, Wakefield, West Yorkshire Promoted from National 5 North (6th)
Sheffield Abbeydale Park 3,300 (100 seats)[b] Dore, Sheffield, South Yorkshire Promoted from National 5 North (5th)
Stoke-on-Trent Hartwell Lane 2,000[12] Barlaston, Staffordshire Promoted from National 5 North (11th)
Stourbridge Stourton Park 3,500 (450 seats)[c] Stourbridge, West Midlands Promoted from National 5 North (7th)
Winnington Park Burrows Hill 5,000[15] Northwich, Cheshire Promoted from National 5 North (4th)
Worcester Sixways 8,477 Worcester, Worcestershire Promoted from National 5 North (2nd)

League table

1996–97 National Division 4 North table
Pos Team Pld W D L PF PA PD Pts Qualification
1 Worcester (C) 26 23 3 0 833 378 +455 49 Promoted
2 Birmingham & Solihull 26 19 0 7 746 391 +355 38
3 Preston Grasshoppers 26 17 2 7 568 394 +174 36
4 Manchester 26 16 1 9 763 514 +249 33
5 Sandal 26 15 1 10 618 572 +46 31
6 Stourbridge 26 14 1 11 704 579 +125 29
7 Winnington Park 26 14 1 11 641 565 +76 29
8 Sheffield 26 12 2 12 496 451 +45 26
9 Kendal 26 11 1 14 541 451 +90 23
10 Aspatria 26 10 1 15 616 713 −97 21
11 Lichfield 26 10 0 16 544 713 −169 20
12 Nuneaton 26 8 1 17 457 670 −213 17
13 Hereford (R) 26 4 0 22 287 970 −683 8 Relegated
14 Stoke-on-Trent (R) 26 2 0 24 391 854 −463 4
Source: [3]
Rules for classification: Points are awarded as follows: 2 pts for a win, 1 pt for a draw, 0 pts for a loss. If teams are level at any stage, difference between points for and against applies.
(C) Champions; (R) Relegated

Sponsorship

National Division 4 North is part of the Courage Clubs Championship and is sponsored by Courage Brewery. This was their tenth and final season of sponsorship.

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Nuneaton were previously based at the Harry Cleaver Ground before moving to Liberty Way in November 1995.[9]
  2. ^ Although a 1990 club estimate was 1,100 (100 seated and 1,000 standing) this is very conservative as Abbeydale Park would experience 3,000+ crowds several times in later history in what was a relatively unchanged ground.[11]
  3. ^ Stourton Park ground capacity up from 2,000 to 3,500 following ground upgrades including a 450 seater stand.[13][14]

References

  1. ^ These regional divisions had previously been tier 6 leagues during the days of National Division 5 but would revert to being level 5 leagues for the 1996-97 season.
  2. ^ "Courage League - Division 5 1995/96". The Rugby Archive. Retrieved 18 December 2017.
  3. ^ a b "Courage League - Division 4 1996/97". The Rugby Archive. Archived from the original on 30 December 2017. Retrieved 18 December 2017.
  4. ^ Stephen McCormack, ed. (1997). "Aspatria R.U.F.C. (Club & Ground Details)". Tetley's Official Rugby Union Club Directory 1997–98 (10th ed.). Taunton: Tony Williams Publications Ltd. p. 362.
  5. ^ Tony Williams and Bill Mitchell, ed. (1990). "Birmingham and Solihull R.F.C. (Ground Details)". Courage Official Rugby Union Club Directory 1990–91 (3rd ed.). Windsor: Burlington Publishing Co. Ltd. p. 171.
  6. ^ Tony Williams and Bill Mitchell, ed. (1990). "Hereford R.F.C. (Ground Details)". Courage Official Rugby Union Club Directory 1990–91 (3rd ed.). Windsor: Burlington Publishing Co. Ltd. p. 173.
  7. ^ Tony Williams and Bill Mitchell, ed. (1990). "Kendal R.F.C. (Ground Details)". Courage Official Rugby Union Club Directory 1990–91 (3rd ed.). Windsor: Burlington Publishing Co. Ltd. p. 174.
  8. ^ Tony Williams and Bill Mitchell, ed. (1990). "Lichfield R.U.F.C. (Ground Details)". Courage Official Rugby Union Club Directory 1990–91 (3rd ed.). Windsor: Burlington Publishing Co. Ltd. p. 176.
  9. ^ "CLUB HISTORY". Nuneaton RFC. Retrieved 10 January 2025.
  10. ^ Tony Williams and Bill Mitchell, ed. (1990). "Preston Grasshoppers R.F.C. (Ground Details)". Courage Official Rugby Union Club Directory 1990–91 (3rd ed.). Windsor: Burlington Publishing Co. Ltd. p. 179.
  11. ^ Tony Williams and Bill Mitchell, ed. (1990). "Sheffield R.U.F.C. (Ground Details)". Courage Official Rugby Union Club Directory 1990–91 (3rd ed.). Windsor: Burlington Publishing Co. Ltd. p. 162.
  12. ^ Tony Williams and Bill Mitchell, ed. (1990). "Stoke on Trent R.U.F.C. (Ground Details)". Courage Official Rugby Union Club Directory 1990–91 (3rd ed.). Windsor: Burlington Publishing Co. Ltd. p. 180.
  13. ^ "Pre-season match Preview ~ Stourbridge Vs Bees". rugbynetwork.net. 7 August 2004.
  14. ^ Tony Williams and Bill Mitchell, ed. (1990). "Stourbridge R.F.C. (Ground Details)". Courage Official Rugby Union Club Directory 1990–91 (3rd ed.). Windsor: Burlington Publishing Co. Ltd. p. 183.
  15. ^ Ross Young, ed. (1993). "Winnington Park RFC (Ground Details)". Courage Official Rugby Union Club Directory 1993–94. Taunton: Tony Williams Publications. p. 285.
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